Silence
by HopefulEchoe
Summary: Maleficent's relationship with Lily isn't the most ideal. Silence always seemed to be crushing them. Luckily, two certain Mills are ready to help break the silence. A bit of Dragon Queen.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Bleeeeghh... I told myself I would work on my current fanfics, but I got sidetracked with _this_ idea. I mean, I liked this idea, and I really wanted to do something with it, and I love Dragon Queen and Regal Believer (The only thing I love more than Regal Believer is Swan-Mills Family. This isn't Swan Queen, though.) and I just had to write it. **

**I hope you enjoy this 4 thousand and something worded fanfic.**

**WARNINGS:  
Mentions of past sexual relationships  
Angst (or at least an attempt)**

**I don't own Once Upon a Time**

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Silence

Silence is unbearable.

Maleficent knew that best as it settled itself between she and her daughter. The two women were walking cautiously next to each other, passing Storybrooke's many buildings and cars. The two knew that Storybrooke was a small town, but there should at least be _some_ kind of noise. Anything other than the dreadful silence between Mother and Daughter.

The only arguably worse thing other than silence is distance. As Mother tried to appease her daughter by displaying a casual posture and a content smile, Daughter couldn't help but be oh so cautious of the distance between them. It is no secret that Daughter was nervous of their time together, not knowing what to do - especially now that she had her real mother. And it was also no secret that every time Daughter accidentally bumped shoulders with Mother, the former would take more than a step back.

They remained silent about their distance, though.

Lily licked her lips as she awkwardly tried to start a conversation, "So... You're a dragon?"

As soon as the question left her lips, Lily berated herself for the question. Of all things she could have asked, that was what she chose?

Still, Maleficent chuckled softly as a smile formed on her lips, "More or less so. And so are you."

Lily looked away as she was once again reminded of who she was walking next to, "Right... Because you are my mother."

Lily could only guess why that last word left an unpleasant taste in her mouth.

Silence once again captured the two as they watched a car pass by.

How can this be so hard? They are mother and daughter. They share flesh and blood. It shouldn't be this hard to connect with each other.

It shouldn't hurt so much just to try.

"So," Maleficent tried, realizing that it was now her turn to start a conversation, "how was life with your adoptive family?"

Surely they were good to her daughter? The man from Rumpelstiltskin's vision seemed sincere when he held her baby girl in his arms.

Unfortunately, Maleficent began to doubt it as her daughter stayed silent, refusing to look back at her mother. The frown etched on Lily's face did nothing to help.

Worried, Maleficent spoke her daughter's name, "Lilith?"

The two stopped walking as silence enveloped them again. It had them in its clutches, painfully squeezing Mother and Daughter.

It truly was unbearable.

And so was distance.

Lily stepped away from Maleficent, "Look, I know that you didn't want to give me up, and that this evil witch-"

"Queen." Maleficent interrupted, the image of her old friend appearing at the back of her mind, "She was a queen."

Lily raised an eyebrow as she continued on, "That this evil _queen_ made it impossible for you to actually find me, but this is going to take some time. I..." she took a breath, "I'm not used to having a mother."

Maleficent swallowed a lump in her throat at the truth in her daughter's words, "I know, dear," she admitted, "You're... You're right. This _is_ going to take some time."

Mother tried to reach for Daughter's hand, but Daughter took a step back to further the distance between them. Mother retracted her hand and looked at her daughter's eyes.

"I love you..." Maleficent said as her voice cracked, "I loved you the moment I gave birth to you; even before then. And I still do."

Looking away once more, Lily felt her eyes start to water. She nodded her head in acknowledgement. She turned away, and said the only thing she could say.

"I have to go. I'll see you later, Mo... Maleficent..."

And Maleficent watched as her child almost ran away from her.

As she watched the fleeting figure of her daughter, Maleficent felt an embrace that the chilly presence of silence generously gave her. In contrast to the terrible chill she felt, a warm tear threatened to escape her eyes. She clutched her hands in defiance, and turned away. She was about to start walking when she was greeted with a sight that hurt her just as deeply as silence did.

It was Mother and Son.

They were staring at the lonely mother.

Maleficent couldn't help but notice the twinge of understanding in Regina's warm brown eyes - a contrast to her cold blue ones. She watched as Regina gently nudged Henry forward, prompting him to walk towards the other woman. Maleficent stayed rooted, not knowing what else she should do now that her daughter was not with her.

As the two got close, Regina nodded her head in greeting, "Maleficent."

Maleficent nodded back, a tentative, "Regina..." escaping her lips. She looked at Regina's son; a boy who wasn't Regina's, but was also her's at the same time. She put on a forced, small smile, "Henry..."

Henry ignored the forced nature of the smile, and curved his lips back, "Hi, Maleficent."

Once again, silence ensued as the three stared at each other. Maleficent stared at Henry, thinking about the child of her former friend. Henry stared back at Maleficent, thinking about the villain who was redeeming herself, much like his mother was. Regina watched Maleficent, thinking about the fire burning within the dragon's soul, and pondering about how it must be faltering in power. Regina knew what is was like to feel that power painfully falter.

"Lovely day for a stroll, isn't it?" Regina asked.

"Yes, it is," Maleficent answered.

"My son and I were about to go to Granny's. Would you like to join us?"

Maleficent was surprised at the invitation. True, they were once very close friends. Friends who were almost more. However, that was a long time ago.

"I wouldn't like to intrude," Maleficent took a peek at Henry, "And I think your son would like to spend some time with his mother."

A contrast to how her daughter didn't want to spend some time with her.

Henry shook his head, "I wouldn't mind. I'd like to get to know you, actually. My mom told me about you."

Maleficent stared at the boy, then to Regina, "She did?"

Regina looked away, slightly abashed, "I... Well, yes... You were my only friend. A very close one..."

Maybe a bit too close, Maleficent thought as she remembered some of their more intimate moments.

"Yes, I suppose we were..."

"So?" Henry asked, a hopeful smile on his face, "Will you join us?"

Regina brought her gaze back up to look at Maleficent.

The dragon shifted from Henry's eyes to Regina's as she nodded her head, "Yes, I would love to."

The three had walked into Granny's, and took a seat. Henry and Regina was on one side of the table, while Maleficent sat across from them. They ordered their drinks. Henry ordered hot cocoa with cinnamon, Regina ordered black coffee, and Maleficent ordered a hot cup of tea.

A silence had befallen upon them as they stared at each other. This silence wasn't as crushing as the silence between Maleficent and Lily, but it was just as unbearable. At least Henry was there to break the silence as he directed his attention to Maleficent.

"How do you like Storybrooke?" Henry asked.

Maleficent took a few moments before she answered, "It's a very simple town... Very quiet..."

At the last word, Regina couldn't help but scoff, remembering the events of the past few years, "This town is _far_ from quiet..."

Maleficent couldn't help but think about the times she had visitors down in the basement.

No, this town was not quiet at all.

And Henry didn't think so either. He nodded his head, "Mom's right. After Emma came to town and broke the curse, a lot of things happened. Grandma..." the boy stopped as he noticed the sudden stiff posture of his mother. Maleficent noticed as well, and watched as Son changed topics with a shake of his head, "Mom saved the town when these two guys took her and the trigger that could have killed everyone." he looked at his mother, pride shining in his eyes, "She's a hero."

Regina smiled at her son, placing a hand on his forehead, and sweeping his hair aside, "Because you inspire me to, Henry. I love you, my little prince."

Henry smiled back at his mother.

Maleficent watched the exchange, feeling a squeeze in her heart, and wishing it would go away. She shifted in her seat, glad that Ruby had came by to give them their drinks. At least they had something to do in the short amount of silence that had befallen them once more.

As Regina put her drink down, she stared at Maleficent with a neutral expression, "So, how's Lily?"

Maleficent took a slight pause as she also lowered her drink, "She is fine."

Regina nodded her head, studying her old friend.

She suddenly turned her attention to Henry, asking him if he wanted some of Granny's chocolate frosted donuts. When her son nodded his head, she gave him some money and told him to order some.

Regina watched as her son gave her a knowing smile, then left to talk to Granny.

Now that they were alone, Regina turned her attention to Maleficent. She wasn't surprised to find that the blonde turned away from her. Still, she asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about."

"We saw what happened."

"Did you?"

"Yes."

Silence slipped between them as Regina took a sip of her coffee. Maleficent was suddenly not in the mood for tea. As Regina put her mug back down, she gave a sigh, drawing Maleficent's attention to her.

Regina folded her arms across the table and leaned in to get closer to Maleficent. She started softly, "I know what it's like to... have a child who pushes away from you." She sneaked a glance at Henry before returning to look at Maleficent once more, "It hurts, and it makes you angry... Angry at the people who have taken them away from you. Angry at the people who would try to take them away from you..." She lowered her volume for her last statement, "Angry at _yourself_ for pushing them away."

Maleficent sharply turned her gaze at Regina, now fully facing her. Regina couldn't help but notice the red and puffiness of her friend's eyes, and the angry scowl marking her beautiful face, "I am _not_ pushing Lily away!"

Placing a hand on top of Maleficent's, Regina responded with, "I know."

The two stared at each other in silence as Maleficent slowly calmed down. Regina always had that effect on her. Just one touch from the younger woman, and Maleficent could calm down. Ironically, there were times where Regina's touch would excite her so much, feeling as though she would burst with intense emotion. Her touch was addicting. That was all Maleficent knew as she twisted her hand around so that she was almost holding Regina's.

Almost, but not quite.

Taking the almost hand-hold as a sign to continue, Regina spoke once more, "When the curse broke..." she shook her head, "No, when Henry found his book, he pulled away from me. All of a sudden, the ten years we spent together as a family had slipped away, and all that was left was hatred and anger, and...," she took a pause as she snuck a glance at Henry once more. Her voice was beginning to crack as she added with a squeezing of her hand, "and pain... He left me one day, and when he came back, Emma Swan - his birth mother - was the one he was clinging to. He didn't want anything to do with me."

Maleficent looked away, but her hand stayed. In a quiet voice, she asked, "What did you do?"

Maleficent couldn't help but notice how Regina's voice cracked, "I fought for him, Maleficent," Regina placed another hand on top of her friend's, "And I made some bad moves. My battle plans were not the best, and they only served to push him further away from me. But you know what? I realized something. I could either go back to being the Evil Queen and take him back by force, never really having his love... Or I could change and become the hero he believed I could be."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Regina tightened her grip on Maleficent's hand, "Because I care about you... And I wanted to give you some advice. Mother to mother..." At those words, Maleficent looked at Regina, "It will take some time. And you will feel like you are dying inside. But you have to keep going. You have to keep fighting. And no matter how tempting it is, don't go back to that horrid place. Because that will do nothing but hurt everyone - _including_ your child. And as mothers, we would _never_ want to hurt our children."

As Regina finished, Maleficent felt herself choking back a sob. Regina moved to the other side of the table, and placed an arm around her friend. Not once did Maleficent's hand disconnect with Regina's. Maleficent buried her head in the crook of the other woman's neck, silently sobbing. Regina felt Maleficent's hold on her hand tighten as she finally grasped on. The former queen looked up and glared at the few customers who curiously looked their way, wanting Maleficent to have some privacy. Henry continued to talk to Granny, knowing what his mother wanted for her friend. Regina was silent, but so was Maleficent. Their actions, however, spoke loud volumes.

Eventually, Maleficent calmed down, and the two just held onto each other. They stayed as they were for a minute or two before Maleficent felt the urge to tell Regina something.

Something that she had kept silent for far too long.

"Regina...?" Maleficent started softly, hesitantly, sounding almost scared.

Regina, who noticed the tone of Maleficent's voice, answered back softly, moving her head to peek at her friend, "Yes, dear?"

Maleficent took a pause before continuing, "Lily... She..." Maleficent swallowed a lump as she lowered her voice even further. She was tempted to back out, but she couldn't. If she did, she may never tell Regina. She will always stay _silent_, "She's not just my daughter..."

Regina smiled, "I know. She's your everything..."

Shaking her head, Maleficent tried to explain, "No... Well, yes, but that wasn't what I meant."

"Oh?"

"She's not just _my_ child..."

Regina blinked, "Well, I would assume so... It normally takes two to create life, unless dragons are an exception..."

Maleficent shook her head against Regina's neck, irritatingly breathing her friend's name, "Regina…!"

"Right. Sorry. You were saying?"

"Lily's other parent," Maleficent started again, feeling her nerves turn to jelly, "She, well, Lily doesn't really have a father..."

Regina blinked once again, then raised an eyebrow. Her mind took her back to old times. She remembered the many times when she had met with Maleficent at the dead of night, and had gotten as intimate as she did with her dreadful husband. Maleficent wasn't dreadful, though... Quite the opposite, really. And she seemed to enjoy it as much as Regina did.

But that didn't have to mean that Maleficent preferred women over men...

Or maybe it did, now that Maleficent revelation came about.

"Oh?" Regina started, "Well, you know I don't mind those kinds of relationships, Mal. There's no need to worry whether or not I am supporti-"

Maleficent raised her head from Regina's shoulder, impatiently looking at her as she raised her voice, "That's not what I meant, Regina!"

In response, Regina scrunched her eyebrows together.

Maleficent sighed, "Don't you remember those nights... we spent together in my bed?"

Regina stared at her friend, still not quite understanding what Maleficent was trying to tell her, "I... Yes, of course I do, but... I don't-"

"_You're_ Lily's other parent, you stupid girl!"

Silence was crushing and unbearable, and there were times where Maleficent just wanted to destroy it with sound.

Unfortunately, her sound may have been too loud as it had caused a much more malicious silence. It was twice as heavy and unbearable.

And there were two other sounds that just couldn't bear the silence.

"Mom?" asked Son, who turned away from a shocked Granny.

"Mo-Mother...?" asked Daughter, who had just arrived at the diner.

And all Maleficent and Regina can do was look at their children, then to each other, "Shit..."

Lily walked briskly to the pair of women, stopping only a few feet away.

The shocked daughter raised her voice over the deafening silence as she stared at... her parents, "What did you say about this woman? She... She's my _other parent_? How is that even possible? Why did I only find out about this, _now_?"

The equally shocked son took a step towards the two, but didn't approach, "Mom? Wh-What's going on?"

Sister and Brother were not the only ones to have shock painted over their faces. As Maleficent and Regina turned to each other, they could see it plain as day. Beneath all that shock, however, was a more pressing emotion.

Fear.

Regina looked towards Henry, her voice shaking, but otherwise in control. She was mayor, after all, "Henry, I... I think we should go talk somewhere else..." She snuck a glance at Maleficent, then at Lily, "_All of us_ should go talk somewhere else..."

Maleficent turned her head to her daughter, her voice pleading, "L-Lily, I can explain-"

What came out of Lily's mouth made Maleficent wish for silence to fall upon all of them.

Lily let out a cruel, cold chuckle as she shook her head, suppressed thoughts reaching surface as old feelings came about, "Yeah, I bet you can. Like you can explain why you couldn't run after the people who took me instead of _blasting the damn entrance and blocking yourself from them!_ Or how you couldn't look for a way to create a portal to this world, and _look for me_, all powerful _Maleficent_!"

Regina, Henry, and Maleficent winced and flinched at Lily's words. All harsh, but true.

Maleficent felt tears well up in her eyes once more, "Lily, please..."

But Lily just shook her head, turning to the door, "I'm leaving."

Just as Lily opened the door, Henry had called after her. And before the boy knew it, he found that he had his hand gripping onto her wrist. Everyone in the diner looked at them in silence, wondering what would happen next between the siblings. Meanwhile, Regina gripped Maleficent's hand, both of them now providing the other comfort.

Lily pulled her wrist away from Henry, "Leave me alone, kid, " she sneered.

Before Lily could push Henry out of the way, the boy raised his voice, "Don't just leave!"

"And why shouldn't I?"

"Because you're hurting your mom!"

Lily shook her head as silence almost enveloped the two, "I don't have a mom."

Sister turned to leave again, but Brother stepped in front of the door, successfully blocking her path, "You _do_ have a mom! You have _two_!"

"Move out of my way!"

"Not until you talk to Maleficent." Henry suddenly lowered his voice, his volume still loud.

Lily stared at Henry before shaking her head, "You don't know what you're talking about. You're just a kid."

"No I'm not," Henry stomped his foot aggressively, "I'm also a _son._ And a-apparently, we share a mom!" He looked at Regina, "A mom who has done bad things, and was a villain..." Regina looked away, and Maleficent squeezed her hand, "But she isn't anymore."

Lily looked back at Regina and Maleficent, then scowled, "Well, that's _your_ mom. She's not _mine_."

Henry opened his mouth, but Lily cut him off.

"She wasn't the one who fed me, and took care of me. She wasn't the one who held me in her arms, and changed my diaper. She never put up with any of my tantrums, or nursed any of my fevers," with each statement, Lily increased her volume, smashing the silence to bits, "She never even _looked_ for me!"

Lily felt the few droplets of tears fall down her cheeks as she stared at Maleficent, who also had tears running down her face. Regina squeezed her hand, and Henry tried to reach out to squeeze Lily's. She pulled away before he could brush their fingers together, though.

Henry stared at Lily, and softly suggested, "Then let's talk to her. Let's talk to them both."

That should have been the end of it. Everyone was hurting, and this should have been the end. Everyone should have been able to get out of the diner and talk about what was happening. That should have been it.

But Lily wasn't ready to give up the fight, "And why should I?" she asked.

It was a good thing Henry wasn't about to give up on her, "Because..." he faltered as memories invaded his head. Shameful memories that he wished he could forget, "Because if I can forgive my mom, then so can you. Not too long ago, I pushed my mom away, a-and I was mean to her. I ran away, and I tried to _replace_ her... I only ended up _hurting_ her." Henry felt his own tears threatening to spill, even as he raised his wrists to swipe them away, "But she never gave up...! She never let go of me. She kept fighting for me. She _changed_ for me! She-She loved me, even when I almost _hated_ her!"

"Almost?" Lily asked, her voice now quiet.

Henry just shook his head, his voice cracking, "I never stopped loving her. She's my mom," he looked at Regina, who was watching them with watery eyes, "I will always love her." He looked back to Lily, "And you will _always_ love Maleficent. She's your mom, and I _know_ you love her."

Lily stepped back, but her fight was nearly diminished, "You don't know anything, kid..."

Henry stepped closer, "I know a lot of things. I know that you won't be happy until you give something up for your mom - your anger. Mom gave up a lot for me, and I had to give up being angry for her. For a long time, I was angry at her, and even when I was with Emma, I _still_ wasn't happy. I needed my Mom."

Lily dropped her head, defeated. In an almost inaudible voice, she said, "I don't need her... I'm an adult now. She's too late."

As Maleficent's heart squeezed at the truth in Lily's words, Henry just shook his head, "It's never too late, Lily. All it takes is one chance. One chance for her, and for you."

Once again, silence had befallen them. The only thing fighting the silence is the sobbing thirty year old, who had fallen to her knees, and cried into her hands. Her much younger adoptive brother kneeled next to her, and draped an arm over her shoulder. The two siblings started to sob together as their mothers quietly approached them, tears also welling up behind their eyes.

Regina had left some money on the table, not bothering if she was leaving a twenty dollar tip. Not once did she let go of Maleficent's hand, "I'll take us to my mansion."

Maleficent only nodded her head as the two stood in front of their children. She placed a gentle hand atop of Lily's shoulder, silently relieved that the former did not move away. She did, however, sob just a little bit louder.

Meanwhile, Regina placed her own hand on Henry's head, ruffling the mop of dark brown.

Regina turned her head towards Maleficent when she felt her hand being squeezed. All she heard from the blonde was a quiet, "Thank you."

Regina shook her head, squeezing back, "Thank _you_."

Then the two turned back to their loud, sobbing children, and closed their eyes as they let their tears flow.

A dark, purple smoke surrounded them as they silently left the diner.

Silence is unbearable.

And it hurts.

But sound can hurt just as much, Maleficent realized.

Luckily, she had the reassuring squeeze of a hand to take some of the pain away.

And now, Lily had a wonderful younger brother who would always fight for her.

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**Feedback is much appreciative, especially since angst is hard to write (right?). **

**Also, I'm thinking about writing a sequel, or some kind of continuation because I feel like I can do more with this idea. Any thoughts on that?**

**Thanks for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: ****Thank you guys so much for the feedback! I'm so glad that you guys enjoyed it, and want me to continue it. So, here it is.**

**A couple things first, though:**

**To the guest who asked for only Maleficent and Lily bonding time, there will be chapters focused mainly on them (however that won't happen yet because of tensions between them). There will also be Henry and Regina, though, for other chapters. Sorry for any disappointment. I do agree that it would make a great story if it was only Mal and Lily, however for this story, it will also involve the two Mills.**

**And maybe a Swan. Which brings me to the second thing - How weird would it be if I made Emma and Lily a thing? 99.9% sure I won't go through with it (maybe hints of it in their past), but I'm just curious.**

**Also, how old is Henry right now? May need that for the next chapter...**

**Okay, that's it. Sorry for the shorter chapter.**

**I don't own Once Upon a Time.**

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Silence

Silence is dangerous.

Regina learned this a long time ago - before she was any queen. She had known it since before she met Snow or Daniel. Before she realized just how much her mother was truly hurting her. When she was younger, Regina often got into much trouble. And with trouble came punishments. _Harsh_ punishments. But as much as she hated those punishments, she hated upsetting the woman who gave life to her even more. So she kept silent throughout the lashings and beatings Cora generously gave her.

But sometimes, the silence she would give her mother would just cause Regina to hurt even more. Cora would say that is was rude and unladylike to keep quiet when asked a question. No matter how painful the question was asked.

Shaking her head, Regina brought herself back to the present. The present where she was currently fixing a pot of supposedly calming tea. Honestly, half the reason why she offered to make the tea was because the process itself was a good enough distraction to allow _herself_ time to calm down.

Regina brought her head up to take note of the three people who were just unbearably silent.

They were sitting at the dining table, taking a place as far away from each other as they possibly can. Lily had placed herself at one corner of the table, where she made a point to keep her eyes glued to her clenching hands. Henry was sitting at another corner adjacent to Lily. Maleficent was at across from the two, looking anywhere but at the three people whom she was with.

After so much noise a few minutes ago, Regina was surprised that silence had managed to entrap them once more, and make things even more painful.

Eventually, Regina finished the tea. She set a cup down in front of everyone, with Maleficent being the last person to distribute the tea to. The former queen sat down next to Maleficent, watching her as everyone took a sip from their cup.

It was far too silent.

That was, until Lily took a shaky breath and asked, "Will one of you please speak up? I still have questions."

The two mothers stayed quiet as Regina kept her eyes on the other. Maleficent refused to look at the former queen as she turned her head down.

Lily, who was getting impatient, tried again, "Come on. You guys can't keep quiet forever." Sadly, she was right as she repeated once more, "I still have questions."

Maleficent allowed herself a few seconds of silence before tentatively looking at her daughter, "What do you want to know?"

Lily scoffed in disbelief, "What do I want to know? _Everything_!" Her words were laced with everything but the happy and content tone Maleficent wished her daughter would use with her. Lily motioned her hand to Maleficent, "I want to know what the hell happened that made you just _give up_ on trying to look for me! I want to know why I should stay here and be your daughter when we obviously just don't have that _connection_! And more importantly," she directed her hand from Maleficent to Regina, a scowl on her face, "I want to know how you can have a child with this _woman_!"

Everyone flinched and winced at Lily's harsh tone. Henry turned his head to stare at his... sister...? He didn't know what to make of this new development. True, there were more _bizarre _branches in his family tree, but this was still strange. Now wasn't the time to think about that though.

Meanwhile, Regina tilted her head at Lily, dissecting the last sentence that had fallen from her mouth. Regina knew that there was something else in her voice. She may not have Emma's superpower, but she could tell that something was bothering her... daughter.

Was it betrayal?

Hate?

Disgust?

Before Regina could delve further into her suspicion, Maleficent spoke up with a hesitant and slow voice. Turning her head, Regina couldn't help but notice how the older woman refused to look at her, "We... Regina and I... We have a lot of magic, and when magic combines, _great_ things can happen..."

At Maleficent's words, Regina switched her gaze from Lily to her mother, now silently scrutinizing _her_.

Lily shook her head, "That wasn't what I mean."

Regina watched as Maleficent scrunched her eyebrows together momentarily before asking, "Then what _did_ you mean?"

Lily gripped her cup tightly, making Henry worry that the small thing - containing so much within it - would break, resulting in a tricky and dangerous mess. With a tremble in her voice, tinted with restrained and peculiar anger, Lily started, "How could you..." She trailed off with her thoughts, though, as she let the silence greet them all once more. Henry watched her worriedly, readying himself in case something ended up breaking and spilling over. Eventually, Lily turned away from the three, "You know what? Never mind."

Regina silently winced as she watched Maleficent stiffen at Lily's words. How the dragon's shoulders tensed as the silence dragged on and on, whilst everyone tried to ignore it by sipping on their calming tea. But as the former queen took a glance at Lily, she knew it wasn't working.

The mayor directed her eyes to her son, who was silent until now. She noted how much he had grown. He was so much more like a man than he was before the curse was broken. He was so much more independent. He was a kind young man, and Regina couldn't be even more prouder than she already was.

"So what do we do now?" Henry asked,

Regina waited for Maleficent or Lily to voice their thoughts, hoping that they would be willing to take the chance and break the silence once more. To overpower the silence. To crush it like the many hearts her own mother had crushed.

But they kept as silent as Regina had when she was younger as she tried not to anger Cora any further.

Licking her lips, Regina answered her son with a question of her own, "What do you mean, Henry?"

Looking at his mother, Henry asked, "Where do we go from here?" He glanced towards Lily momentarily before meeting his mother's eyes again, "You have a-a daughter now-"

"I am _not_ her daughter," Lily interrupted coldly.

Not wanting to fight once more with Maleficent's daughter, Henry started, "Lily..."

Before the young prince could continue with his thoughts, Regina intervened with a sigh and a shake of her head," No, Henry. She's Right," The two children looked towards the daughter who once had a terrible mother, "I wasn't the one who birthed her, or raised her." At the stiffness of the mother who didn't get a chance to be one, Regina placed a hand on the other's arm, "And I was not the one who suffered the pain of losing her."

Maleficent's only response was to lightly bite her lower lip as she felt the warmth coming from Regina's touch. She didn't lean into it though.

Lily scoffed at the two women, a scowl on her face. Her fingernails were digging into her forearms, which were crossed against her chest. "Yeah, exactly," she said bitterly as she stood up rigidly, "Thanks for the tea, Mayor Mills. I have to leave now, though. I promised Emma that I would meet with her."

As Lily left, Maleficent couldn't help but remember how her own flesh and blood kept running away from her. In the morning, it may have been due to nervousness. But now...

Maleficent thinned her lips into a straight line, "Why did you have to do that?"

"Do what?" Regina asked, taking note of how Maleficent was once again refusing to look at her.

Shrugging away Regina's hand, Maleficent turned her head to look at her old friend, "Why did you have to tell her those things? Remind her of what happened?"

Regina was once a daughter.

And Maleficent was once a mother-to-be.

Daughter watched Mother as memories of her childhood flooded her mind. Memories of distant feelings that had been brought on by the one woman she longed to have a bond with. She remembered the need to please and be someone to be proud of. Despite how horrible the woman was, Daughter wanted nothing but to _believe _in her mother. She wanted it so bad that there were times that she would overlook the many things that had happened between them, keeping silent as she continued to wish.

Daughter brought her eyes up to look at Henry, who was looking right back at her. He was such a good boy. He was a child to be proud of, loved, and cared for. Nothing like her. And he was smart. With one look from Daughter, Henry nodded his head and started upstairs with the pretext of doing homework.

"You know you can't forget what happened." Daughter said.

"_Of course I know that_!" Mother shot back, "I will always know that!"

Mother mourned once more at the loss of the experience of raising her daughter. She mourned at the loss of having that mother-daughter relationship she yearned for. Something similar to how Daughter wished for a relationship with her own mother.

Daughter watched as Mother took a few breathes, calming down. Silence enveloped them as Daughter waited patiently before saying, "That wasn't what I meant."

Hanging her head, Mother thought back to how Lily was taken away from her. That was no doubt one of, if not _the_ most painful day of her entire life. And she had lived a _long_ time. However, that wasn't what Daughter was referring to. "I know..." Mother said quietly as her thoughts shifted to calculating the painful years of not actually _being_ there for Lily.

"Then why are you trying to deny the truth?"

"Because... Because I..." Maleficent suddenly shook her head, standing up. She took a few quick steps away from Daughter, "Why am I telling you this? We aren't friends."

Before the blonde could take even more steps away from her, Regina grabbed her wrists, "You're telling me this because you know I _care_." Maleficent stood still with her back to Regina, "And what do you mean not friends? Stop trying to forget what blatantly happened a few minutes ago, Mal! What's done is done, but that doesn't mean you should just discard what had transpired!"

At those few last words, Maleficent turned around to greet Regina with an accusing scowl, "We are _not_ friends. Maybe _you_ should stop trying to forget what happened _thirty years ago_!"

Regina internally winced at the reference. She refused to back down, however, even after Maleficent forcefully ripped her wrist away from her grip.

Maleficent stepped closer to Regina, inching her face slowly to the shorter woman's, "A friend does not break another's deal, betray them, trap them in a damn cave, kill them twice, or lie to them over and over and over...!" With each word that shot from the dragon's mouth like fire, her volume rose as she inched even closer to Regina, "You are not a friend, Regina."

Memories of their past hit each of them just as hard as the silence did. When they first met, as they grew closer, as they established a routine, a bond, a friendship with something more, then betrayal. They remembered it all in those few seconds of harsh, and unforgiving silence.

Regina watched as the wounded mother - her wounded friend - fought back tears of pent up frustration and pain. The former queen felt her own eyes well up with tears at the truth her friend spoke of. She had fallen into darkness, and was willing to do _anything_ to get her happy ending. If the young girl who had first met Maleficent was around at that time, there was no way _any_ of this would have happen.

But like she said - what's done is done.

With her voice cracking, Regina stared into Maleficent's eyes, shamelessly displaying her unshed tears, "Your right. What I did was wrong. And you have every right to be mad to me. To be _furious_ at me." She stepped just tad bit closer to Maleficent, sharing the same air as she breathed her next sentences, "And I may not be your friend, Maleficent, but you are _mine_. And like I said - I_ care_. And when I care about someone, I make sure they are happy and well. So sorry if I care, but I will not stop until you are happy."

They stared at each other in silence, neither one of them backing down from their close proximity. Inching her head so that their foreheads were almost touching, Maleficent commented, "He's just like you... Your son is exactly like you."

The shadow of her mother flashed behind Regina's eyes as she blinked. The hurtful words that Cora had seethed at her as she failed to do one thing or another echoed in her ears. Before she could let herself become too caught up in the reminders of her past, Regina shook her head as she thought of her son's face. "Well, not exactly. He doesn't have the villain part of me."

Maleficent shook her head, weakly saying, "You stupid girl..."

The dragon leaned forward and rested her forehead heavily against Regina's - who was more than willing to support her friend. Regina sought out Maleficent's hands, giving a reassuring squeeze. Maleficent watched as Regina brought their hands up between them. The dragon squeezed back, letting herself relax under Regina's presence.

No more tears were shed.

A few moments passed before Regina spoke up, "I take it you accept that although I may not be your friend, you are mine?"

Maleficent nodded.

With a small smile, Regina said, "Good."

A comfortable silence took over as Regina gently lead Maleficent back to the table. Regina picked up Henry and Lily's cups, pausing at Lily's as she noted the tea that was still inside.

"You must have some questions yourself." Maleficent stated, bringing Regina's attention back to the blonde.

The brunette nodded her head as she set Lily's cup back down, placing it next to Henry's empty one, "I do." She reached for the pot of tea that was no doubt cold. She took Maleficent's empty cup and poured some now-chilled tea. Extending her arm out for Maleficent to take, she continued, "But you don't have to answer them right now."

Maleficent stared at the cup before reaching for it, making sure that her fingers lingered on Regina's. Lifting the cup up to her lips, she said, "Thank you."

Regina nodded her head as she watched for a few moments as Maleficent took a sip from the cold tea. She stood up when Maleficent put the cup down, "I'll check on Henry. I'll be right back."

Regina left as soon as she saw the slight nod from her friend. As she walked up the stairs, her thoughts drifted to two big questions that are plaguing her mind. The first was a suspicion based on Lily's behavior earlier. Regina knew what it was like to keep silent so as to not anger her mother. But she also knew that silence could protect you in certain situations.

But eventually, silence will be broken, and consequences will be delivered. Harsh consequences.

Remembering Lily's reaction Regina's connection to not only her, but also to Maleficent, the former daughter couldn't help wonder. But then there was the other big question that had been nagging at her. If Lily was created because of magic, then what was the price?

Regina remembered the tears Maleficent had shed; all the pain that she had to go through. What did Maleficent have to pay in order for Lily to be her's?

Unfortunately, Regina would have to wait before she could get her answer. As much as she would want to ask Mal, she knew that the older woman would need time. Time to heal herself, and time to be comfortable with her relationship with her daughter. Maybe even time to have Regina's presence around once more.

Regina will have to keep silent.

Silence is dangerous.

And it could lead to many things.

But silence could also be a comfort and a shield, Regina knew.

And she was more than willing to play with silence as if it were fire, and take the risks to help her friend.

And hopefully, she could get Henry's help.

* * *

**Again, thank you guys so much for reviewing, fav-ing, and following! Lately, I've been a little down due to some drama going on with my friends, and it was nice to see some positive feedback. So, thank you.**

**Of course, that isn't to say that I want all positive feedback. I'd love some constructive criticism, especially since I've only just started writing Once Upon a Time fanfiction. Tips on writing the characters would be really helpful...**

**And now I think I'll end it with how often I plan to update. I will aim for one update per month, however, I may be getting busy with school and other personal issues. So, keep that in mind, please, if (when) I don't update.**

**Thank you.**


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